All of which are shown in contemporary drawings of the same sex union of Byzantine Emperor Basil I (867-886) and his companion John. These ceremonies had all the contemporary symbols of a marriage: a community gathered in church, a blessing of the couple before the altar, their right hands joined as at heterosexual marriages, the participation of a priest, the taking of the Eucharist, a wedding banquet afterwards. Prof Boswell discovered that in addition to heterosexual marriage ceremonies in ancient church liturgical documents (and clearly separate from other types of non-marital blessings such as blessings of adopted children or land) were ceremonies called, among other titles, the "Office of Same Sex Union" (10th and 11th century Greek) or the "Order for Uniting Two Men" (11th and 12th century). Yet after a 12-year search of Catholic and Orthodox church archives Yale history professor John Boswell has discovered that a type of Christian homosexual "marriage" did exist as late as the 18th century.Ĭontrary to myth, Christianity's concept of marriage has not been set in stone since the days of Christ, but has evolved both as a concept and as a ritual. The very idea of a Christian homosexual marriage seems incredible. Furthermore, in an image that to some modern Christian eyes might border on blasphemy, the icon has Christ himself as their pronubus, their best man overseeing their "marriage". Unusually their orientation and relationship was openly accepted by early Christian writers. In other words, it confirms what the earlier icon implies, that they were a homosexual couple. More bluntly, in the definitive 10th century Greek account of their lives, St Serge is openly described as the "sweet companion and lover" of St Bacchus. Severus of Antioch in the sixth century explained that "we should not separate in speech who were joined in life".
While the pairing of saints, particularly in the early Church, was not unusual, the association of these two men was regarded as particularly close.
GAY SEX ART 18TH CENTURY FULL
The full answer comes from other sources about the two men featured, St Serge and St Bacchus, two Roman soldiers who became Christian martyrs. Is the icon suggesting that a homosexual "marriage" is one sanctified by Christ? The very idea initially seems shocking. The "husband and wife" are in fact two men. Between them is a traditional Roman pronubus (best man) overseeing what in a standard Roman icon would be the wedding of a husband and wife. A KIEV art museum contains a curious icon from St Catherine's monastery on Mount Sinai.